Building a community is a struggle every Rust server owner faces and since there are thousands of servers out there it is hard to fight for players, so you need to invest time in marketing your server and making it unique.
Develop A Unique Server
Choosing the right hosting provider and plugins can greatly enhance your Rust server's performance and player experience. Reliable hosting ensures smooth operation, while carefully selected plugins add exciting features and essential administrative tools.
Hosting
When developing a Rust server it is a key part to build the server on a solid foundation, that is where Pine Hosting comes into play as we offer lag-free and DDoS-protected Rust server hosting.
It is important to choose a good host because if your server crashes with 13 players online, those players might not rejoin due to the downtime and may switch to another server. Additionally, when your server is offline and then comes back online, it might not appear in server listings due to having zero players on the server. Since the "Show Empty" option is off by default, potential players won't see your server unless they enable it.
Ranking on the server list can be hard, thankfully at Pine Hosting we offer free A2s caching with all our Rust plans. A2s caching uses our anycasted DDoS-protected network to optimize routes and display a lower ping to users. This significantly helps with getting your server to the top of the in-game server list.
These are just a few reasons why it is vital to choose a trustworthy and reliable hosting provider.
Plugins
When searching for plugins, you can use various websites, but ensure they are reputable sources. Using unverified sites may result in downloading plugins with malicious code or obtaining leaked plugins, which means you won't receive updates from the developer. Below is a list of trusted sites.
https://umod.org/
Once you have found the plugins you want to use, make sure to configure them according to how you advertise your server. For example, if you are using the BetterLoot plugin found on uMod to modify loot tables and you advertise your server as a 3x server, ensure that the loot tables reflect the 3x rates and not the default vanilla settings.
At Pine Hosting we offer a built-in plugin installer that lets you easily install any free plugins with just a click of a button. This drastically speeds up server development
Promote Your Unique Server
To attract players to your server, you need to promote it effectively. Utilize social media platforms, gaming forums, and relevant websites to spread the word about your Rust server. Creating engaging and informative content about your server can help pique the interest of potential players. For example, you could produce tutorial videos or write blog posts highlighting your server's unique features.
Link Rewards
Additionally, you can use player-loyalty tactics such as linking systems that allow players to invest a few seconds of their time for a small reward or a special role/title. This helps build loyalty to your server, encouraging players to stick around. We recommend using services like Steamcord.io and Social-Link.net for this purpose. As an added incentive, we can provide a free 30-day trial if you add Social-Link.net to your Pine Hosting plan.
Vote Rewards
You can also promote voting on the server. If players vote for your server on listing websites, it will boost your server's ranking and visibility, helping to attract more players. Here is a list of websites where players can vote for your server:
To reward players for voting, use the EasyVotePro plugin available on Codefling. This plugin allows you to give players in-game items as a reward for their votes on the above websites.
Community Building
Active moderation, engaging events and activities, and a vibrant Discord presence are essential for fostering a strong Rust server community. These elements help maintain a positive atmosphere, encourage player interaction, and keep your community connected and thriving.
Active Moderation
Moderating the server is crucial for maintaining a fair and enjoyable environment for all players. Ensuring that cheating and scripting are promptly addressed helps preserve the integrity of the game and provides a level playing field. Additionally, it’s important to actively monitor the chat to prevent toxic behavior and enforce community guidelines. Proper moderation involves not only identifying rule-breakers but also understanding the context of each situation to ensure that punishments are fair and appropriate. By consistently enforcing rules and maintaining a positive atmosphere, you help create a welcoming community that players will want to be a part of.
Events And Activities
Host regular events, such as PvP tournaments, building competitions, scavenger hunts, mazes, and king of the hill events to keep players engaged in your server and have them come back to compete. Additionally, give the players an incentive to win such as in-game items or VIP ranks.
Discord
Having a Discord server to communicate with your community and provide a place for them to chat is essential. You can use announcement channels to inform everyone about upcoming events and their details. Additionally, you can create suggestion channels where community members can share their ideas and feedback.
Monitor And Adjust
You can gather suggestions from your server's chat and the dedicated suggestions channel you set up. Implement these ideas, whether they involve adding new plugins or tweaking existing ones. Finally, make sure to hang out with your community to build a stronger connection and show that you value their input. Ensure you are in-game as much as possible to help your server start to rank. This is vital at the start of your server. Playing with friends is a good way to start growing the server population and encourage other players to join.
Discover The Best Rust Dedicated Server Hosting
Pine Hosting offers top-tier Rust dedicated server hosting, ensuring unmatched performance and reliability for your gaming community. Our powerful panel provides one-click plugin installs and A2S caching, making server management effortless and enhancing your players' gaming experience. A2S caching optimizes server queries, reducing latency and improving response times, ensuring smoother gameplay. With our exceptional customer support, you can create an optimal gaming environment for your community.
